Upland denies Vikings' repeat

DENNIS BATEMAN, NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

December 30, 2007 12:00 AM

Upland dominated throughout in the championship game of the Santa Barbara Holiday Classic, and put an end to Santa Monica's bid for a second straight tournament title in as many years with a 58-43 victory.

The annual showcase for some of Southern California's top teams came to an end and local teams turned in solid performances. In the Green Division, San Marcos fell in overtime 72-66 to Corona del Mar to finish in fourth place, while Dos Pueblos beat Mira Costa 61-52 to claim the consolation crown. Santa Barbara had a balanced attack to defeat Burroughs 74-55, and in the Gold Division, Bishop Diego finally got a win by beating the San Marcos JVs 59-50.

In the championship game, the Highlanders were in control from the start and led by 24 points at halftime. Kevin Bradshaw, who was named the tournament's most valuable player, scored 34 points, and was joined on the all-tournament team by fellow Highlanders Thomas Colbert and Danny Redmon.

Sean Park of Dos Pueblos was the only local player to be named to the all-tournament team after he led the Chargers to the consolation championship.

A summary of tournament action:

GREEN DIVISION

CORONA DEL MAR 72,

SAN MARCOS 66, OT

The Royals held a 38-29 lead going into the fourth quarter, but were tied and then edged in the extra period by the Sea Kings' pinpoint shooting.

"We had a fairly substantial lead, but they made some miraculous 3's and we had some critical turnovers," said Royals head coach Jarrod Bradley.

San Marcos (11-4) again demonstrated its shooting prowess, with 11 3-pt goals, including 4 by Brian Pearson (who had a team-high 18 points) and 3 each by Trevor Hopkins and Nick Marquez.

DOS PUEBLOS 61, MIRA COSTA 52

Dos Pueblos claimed the consolation championship with a pair of double-doubles. Ryan Beall led the Chargers (10-6) with 20 points, 16 rebounds, and 9 assists, and all-tournament selectee Sean Park had 14 points and 12 rebounds. Trailing 17-10 after the first quarter, DP outscored the Mustangs 36-22 in the second and third periods.

"We got down early, but our guys handled their zone defense really well. As for our defense, we held them to only 2 points for most of the third quarter, and that sent a strong message," said Chargers head coach Joe Zamora.

SANTA BARBARA 74,

BURBANK BURROUGHS 55

The Dons finished their host tournament strongly in the 13th place game, as six players scored 9 or more points. Alex Bartlett led Santa Barbara with 15 points, followed by Ben Weisman (12 on 4 3-pointers), Spencer Thomas (11), and Marc Millner (10). Roberto Nelson scored 9 points, and also had 9 rebounds and 9 assists, both team highs.

"I think this was our best game since we played Righetti," said Dons head coach Chris Hantgin, who credited the team's improved ball-handling as a key part of the win.

Santa Barbara (9-8) had a season-low 8 turnovers in the game.

PALISADES 60, OXNARD

Irvin Kintaudi scored 22 points for the Dolphins in the fifth place game. Kevin Mulloy and David Shephard-Dykes both scored 15 for the Yellowjackets in a losing effort.

CLOVIS WEST 55, VENICE 50

Ethan Larson had 23 points to rally the Golden Eagles to victory and a seventh place finish in the tournament. Jordan Borucki scored 14 for the Gondoliers.

SAUGUS 55, AGOURA 53

The Centurions finished in 11th place, as Mitch Weber scored 19 points and Michael Cassio had 11. Agoura's Nathan Levy scored 14.

CURTIS (WA.) 63, COSTA MESA 37

Derek Van Essen scored 14 points, and Darnell Williams had 12 for the Vikings, who finished in 15th place.

GOLD DIVISION

BISHOP DIEGO 59,

SAN MARCOS JV 50

David Renick had 28 points and 10 rebounds, and Cardinal teammates Art Gonzales and A.J. Fling both scored 10 points in Bishop Diego's win. J.P. Dodson scored 17 points for the JV Royals.

This is the first time we've had consistent scoring in all four quarters," said head coach Ray Vazquez.

ST. MARGARET'S 40,

NORTHWOOD 33

The victorious Tartans got 15 points from Dan Morrison and 12 from Tyler Stowers. John Minoofar had a team-high 9 points in the Timberwolves' loss.

EAST BASKERSFIELD 57,

SOUTH PASADENA 49

Devon Shelton scored 25 points in the Blades' victory and was named to the All-Tournament team. Kevin Kohler had 19 points for South Pasadena, and was also an all-tournament selection.

OAK PARK 54,

WEST TORRANCE 37

In the Gold Division championship game, the Eagles won as Bobby Hillard scored 28 points and was named Gold Division tournament MVP. Teammate Andy Winningham scored 17 points and was also named all-tournament. West Torrance's Sean Hinkley (17 points) got all-tournament honors, as did fellow Warrior Sean Nelson.